Roller skate



' Feb. 9 192s. 1,572,561

M. SKORKA RQLLER SKATE Filed oct. 1 0, 1925 www /lwentor Patented Feb. 9, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL sKoRKA, or BUDAPEST, HUNGARY. i

noLLnn snaren.

espuma/on alea'october io, 1925. serial no. 61,757.

for its object to provide such a roller, skatel witha peculiar elastic supporting means tot' the rollers, of the total number of which only .one group of adjacent rollers is'operal tive at a time, according to the position of the body or foot on the skater, whereby the roller skate is givenA a quick, smooth and yet 4surel action, similar to that 'of an ordinary skate for use on the ice and the l@ transition from roller to roller takes place without any jerk, the front and back roller being provided with automatically acting brakes, so that all movements and exercises that are possible with ordinary skates can E@ be performed with the new roller skate.v

For this purpose the roller' axles are not journalled asv heretofore rigidly in two parallel rigid longitudinal members on the frame of the skate, but in separate bearings which are fixed to the underside of each of two Hat longitudinal springs'which are located on either side of the rollers, are freely supported between each two bearings and are capable of moving inl their longitudinal direction. The endsi/of these longitudinal springs supporting the front and rear rollers `are unsupported and when pressure is brought to bear on the front or the rear roller, for the purpose of reducing speed or coming to a standstill, bend so ar upward that the roller comes in contact with. a brake plate iiXed to the sole plate of the rollen..`

skate frame or to the sole of the boot itself and is thereby subjected to a braking action.

ln the accompanying-drawing a construc-l the longitudinal springs for supporting they roller bearings toan enlarged scale. '.llhe roller skate frame consisting subf stantially of two parallel longitudinal girders 3 of U-shaped profile open to the top, which are connected together at the front and at the rear ends by means oi' the sole plates 1\'l"(lTigs. 2 and 3) and have lateral flanges 2, by means of which they can be screwed to the sole and heel of the boot,

is in, the example shown stamped out otl sheetb metal, but may be made in any other suitable manner. The bottom sides of the two longitudinal girders 3 have corresponding transverse arched projections 4t, 'to which the two fiat longitudinal springs 5 70 supportingthe roller bearings are attached parallel to one another yin such a manner by means ot screws 6 having heads that at the places of attachment they are free to bend and are capable of moving in the longitudinal direction in accordance with their bending movements, 1F01' this purpose the: springs 5 are each rigidly ixed against longitudinal movement only at one point ci Y attachment, while at all the other points of S0 attachment they have slots l (lEig. 5)

through which the screws d are screwed. ln the middle between eac-h two points of ath tachment and at the ends ot thev unsupported ends of the springs 5` extending beyond 85 the foremost and backmost point-s 'ot' attachmentthe rollerfbearings 8 are rigidly fixed Ito the under side of the springs ,5' by means of bolts 9 passed through the springs fromv above. llachtwo bearings Slying@ next to one another in the transverse direction are vrigidly connected Vtogether by a horizontal axle 1.0, on which' a roller'll 'is j journalled on a ball bearing 3) Baone', roller ll, when'loadedv-by its bearings 8, 95 bends the springs 5, upwards not only be'. tween the adjacent pointsc of attachment,

.but transmits/ this bending beyond the said points of attachment to the adjacent sections of the springs, but in the opposite direction and thus acts on the'adjacent rollers. The springs `5 are so designed that two to three. adjacent sections of the same and consequently two to three rollers will su'llice for supporting the weight of the skater without 1095 any undue bending of the springs. As a result, of all the rollers of the skate only a single group of two`to three rollers lying 5 ranged aloncr immediately one behind the other is stressed corresponding to the position at any time rf the body orV foot of the skater. This has the advantage that, dwith the rollers ara curve as shown in the drawing, the roller skate is adapted for performing even the. smallest curves, hence forfigure skating, while, wi-th the rollers arranged along a straight line, it is suitable for racing. Y f' -For' reducing the speed at which the skater is moving or forsuddenly checking the movement or' for executing certain4 F.figures a' simple means of braking is providedconsisting of a braking plate 12 of leather or some other material suitable for coacting with the material of the roller, 'which is fixed bver the front roller 11 to the sole plate of the roller skate or to the '20 sole of the-boot itself (Fig, 1). When the may be obtained on the heel of the foot beying depressed.

The springs -5 may'A each be'formed of one lat spring oi suitable thickness extending the entire lengt-hof the skate, but preferably of two *ci*fp more superposed thinner flat springs. In either ease the unsupported end portions of the springs must be suit- 40 ably reinforced, as is indicated 'in Fig. 1. For the better transmission of the weight of the body-and its reactions to the springs 5 and for securing the screws for fixing the springs 5to the frame of the skate and the roller bearings 8 to the springs, short pieces 13 and 14 of flat spring are interposed above.

the springs 5 between them anld projections 4 of the skate frame and below Ithe springsl between them and the roller bearings 8. ,The ends ofthe u per short springs 13 extend almost to the heads of adiacent bearing fixing screws 9 and the endsofthe lower short springs 14 extend almostto the heads of the attaching-screws for the springs 6 65 (Fig. 5), so that all the screw heads lie each between two spring ends, whereby the screws, the heads of which are, made square fort-his purpose, are prevented by the ends of the short springs from turning unintentionally and are 't s secured effectively. It will be seen that ythe upper inserted sprin 13 help t`o. transmit the weight of the 's aten-S body'ffrom,.each `spring abutment 4 to the adjacent rller bearings 8. and

lofiven spring'insertions14 the reactions of the weight of the body from the roller bearings 8 to the spring 'abutments 4. Through use the ends of these short inserted springs 13 and 14 become Somewhat bent up in the way. shown in Fig, 5 in an exaggerated '70 manner, whereby they still more 'eiiiciently secure the screws. In order to prevent a relative turning or lateral displacement of the separate springs forming the springs 5 and 'for guiding themwith respect to one 75 another,^ in the longitudinal direction, theV lateral edges bf ally the'springs'are bent lup in the manner shown in Fig. 6.v

What I claimis: v

` 1. A roller skate comprising in-combina- .8 tion a frame, two rows of downwardly extending projections on the frame; two parallel longitudinal flat springs attached to the said two lrows of projections so a's to be capable of movingfreel and to extend *atr .the 'front and back en s of the skate beyond the foremost and backmost projecy tions, roller bearings xed rigidly to the 'said springs between the points of attachment ofeach spring and so-as to project 9 downwards and skate rollers on the saidC roller bearings, the foremost and backmost skate roller bearings being fixed on the unsupported forward -and backward extensions of the longitudinalA springs, as and for the 95 purpose set forth.l rf

o 2. A roller skate as claimed in claiml 1, and having braking plates mounted jabove the foremost and backmost unslipported skate rollers, so as to -be capable of coacting 10 with the said rollers to produce a braking action, as set forth. 3. A roller skate as 'claimed in claim 1` and having the attachment of the longitudi.

nal springs to the projections effected by Square-headed screws and the fixing ofthe bearings to the longitudinal springs by s nare-headed bolts and having short pieces o flat spring inserted at the points of atf tachment of the longitudinal springs be- 110 tween 'the latter and the frane and extending almost to the square heads of the screws and other short pieces of nat spring inserted vbetween the longitudinal springs. andthe roller bearings and extending almost-to the -115 square heads ofthe bolts, whereby the screws and bolts are secured from turning and the effect of the longitudinal springs' is' enhanded, as set forth.

4. A roller skate and having the attga nt of the longitudinal springs-to the projections eected by sqifar-headed screws and the fixing ofthe f bearings to the longitudinal springs3 by square-headed bolts and having short'pieces 125 of 'flat spring inserted atv the points of attachment o f the lon itudinal springs between ythe ylatter and t e frame and extend-l ing almost to the square of the screws and other short pieces of fiat spring inserted 13 s claimed in claim '1, 120 I between the longitudinal springs and the respect to one another and secured from roller bearings, and extending almost to the relative lateral displacement and tunning, 10

square heads of the bolts, the edges of all as set forth.

the springs being bent upwards, whereby In testimony whereof I have signed my 5 the screws and bolts are secured from turnnume to this specification.

ing and the effect of the longitudinal springs Y is enhanced and the springs are guided with MICHAEL SKORKA. 

